So /tg/, I need your finely-honed expert expertise on some setting

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Additionally, I was mulling over the idea of having "regular" gunpowder (unaffected by mana levels) also be a thing, so PC's can carry a rifle into whatever territory they like.

However, to keep this somewhat rare, I was thinking it would be a closely-guarded secret by something like a Sulfur Syndicate; who keeps a tight lid on the methods behind its creation and an even tighter lid on those brought into its shadowy ranks (think China guarding its silkworms and weaving techniques for hundreds of years). They would of course charge exorbitant rates for their special 'blasting dust'.

I'm thinking in addition to the secrecy aspect, another reason this gunpowder hasn't become more common is that the smell of Sulfur has an association with Hell, demons, etc. and so there is a serious negative connotation to those who use it/smell like it. These Syndicate members might be notorious for the smell of sulfur following them, and they might be considered worse than even assassins morally and spiritually speaking. The idea of creating this 'hellpowder' could be so taboo that even if one had the ability to do so, it would still be considered tantamount to treason or defiling one's spirit.

Anyway, just spitballing, this could be a terrible idea.

>>54355361
Why not just make them specialized mages? The guns are magitech and only works with those with magical affinities, yet it takes so long to be proficient with them (channeling + technical knowledge + marksmanship) that most do not have the time to become a actual mage in the conventional sense?

>>54355494
That's not a bad idea, but I would prefer to keep mages in their own distinct groups (not that there can't be overlap of course). I'd like to leave room for the concept of conscripted men with rifles, entirely non-magical sharpshooters, etc.

>>54355494
This. Pretty much any damage spell could come out of a gun.

>>54355361
Alternatively, only weapons that can deal with supernatual monsters are relics, just make relic bullets really rare.

(A regular bullet can still hurt humanoids just fine, of course).

>>54355534
Crossbow men?
Pre-charged, light-weight, and disposable magical rifles with only only a few, or maybe even one shot in them for use before closing into melee?

>>54355568
I like the idea of the relic bullets vs. supernatural stuff quite a bit, neat. I'll add that in somehow.

>>54355590
Certainly crossbowmen will still be viable, as they're entirely mechanical weapons. The idea of the pre-charged/disposable rifles is actually very interesting, I think that's a really good idea for the "massed conscripts". That'll go in there. I'd still like more "traditional" firearms to exist in some form, however.

Maybe in addition to the pre-enchanted, disposable rifles there are still the "condensed aether" bullets that are used in more traditional guns, but they're simply too expensive to manufacture industrially on a scale large enough to be useful for wars?
Cost-prohibitive? Resource-intensive? Maybe "condensed aether" usable for propellant purposes can't be manufactured, it can only be mined from big floating islands where the aether has somehow soaked into/infused the rock, and when the stone is mined and crushed (with an ingredient or two added) it can be used at that point.
But maybe aether deposits are hard enough to get to, or rare enough, or both, that those types of rounds are simply impossible to amass for anything other than highly specialized purposes (a single sniper unit on a field, or etc.)

>>54355696
Seems like that substance would be quite useful. Perhaps they have much more (perceived) important uses than being expended on the battlefield by expendable soldiers/conscripts.
If there are floating islands, there'll probably be floating battleships, right? Perhaps it'll be used there to keep the battleships aloft, or to keep some noble's mansion aloft?
Only nobles, imperial assassins, or well-known mercenaries could afford to use such a rare and expensive substance as propellant in weapons that are marginally better than the usual weapons in the conventional sense, but offer other highly situational advantages (quiet, specialized rounds, distinct (signature) wounds, no smell, or no traceable magical residue)?

>>54355889
>Seems like that substance would be quite useful
Yes. There are a number of uses I've thought up, including (as you mentioned) floating dreadnaughts, as well as usable as a more conventional (but highly efficient) fuel source for more traditional fighter-plane type things, as well as a combination of the above making land-bound tank-alikes and even some Walkers (think Leviathan-style; dirty, crude, dangerous, but highly intimidating and useful in certain scenarios even if very expensive).
Other uses include aerosolizing it and using aether bombs like a horribly corrosive mustard gas, or using some kind of an "aether condensator" to draw all the aether out of an area completely, creating a temporary "null field" against magic.

>Only nobles, imperial assassins, or well-known mercenaries could afford to use such a rare and expensive substance as propellant in weapons that are marginally better than the usual weapons in the conventional sense, but offer other highly situational advantages (quiet, specialized rounds, distinct (signature) wounds, no smell, or no traceable magical residue)?
Great ideas and good points, fantastic reasoning for why they're not more common in wartime scenarios where "premade" magic rifles would suffice. Also you're right, when there are plenty of better logistical uses for it than simply shooting at people which could easily support vastly better supply lines, armored advances, etc. it seems like most Aetheric stores would be prioritized for those uses instead.
Love the 'situational advantages' you listed also, good idea fuel. Great idea with the no smell/ no magic residue, and I like the idea of aether rounds having their own distinct signature (blue or green muzzle flash? wound channel leaving cauterized entry?).

>captcha: SKYMASTER BONITA

>>54355361
>>54355471
What are your mages/magic system like?
If you're using basic set spellcasters, guns will take a natural backseat and won't be the ideal choice. Enchanter enhanced magic will allow armor to keep up with weapons.

I like your idea of mage guns and the like; a closely guarded secret under a Illuminati would make plot hook in and of itself

A good method I've found of keeping things like this relevant is to have the players get embroiled in the politics and shadow play . They're the bkackops, the strike team, the mercenaries under fire. Try see first hand what despotic control is. They get to see the downtrodden, the destitute, and the poor. Stories will spin themselves.

>>54356058
You're obviously gonna have the game on the cusp of the next world war, yeah? Why else would there be such a military buildup, if not a massive war?

>>54357664
Currently there are 3 "core" types of magical disciplines (though they all stem from the same 'source', e.g. mana):
1. (RPM) Traditional "ritual"-style magic; slow, but very flexible, with lots of esoteric trappings and applications. Can technically be used by anyone, even laymen, but takes talent to do it without great risk and danger to yourself/others. Viewed with suspicion by most, not well understood.

2. (Path/Book Magic) Codified spell-magic. Requires a huge amount of study. Used for Line/Factory Enchantment (considered a skilled craftsman's occupation). Taught in Imperial universities. Narrow, rigid, specific, but pretty safely and easily reproduced. Requires some inborn aptitude. You must be a licensed practitioner, and The Tribunal actively hunts for those with inborn talent to "recruit" into the magician's ranks for mandatory service.

3. (Sorcery) Sorcery. This is the blasty, flashy, powerful "D&D"-type casting. Extremely rare, must have inborn ability to use it and spend a great deal of time learning to focus and channel your abilities. No well-known methods of training exist. Sorcerers are so rare as to be disbelieved by many, though The Tribunal considers them a high priority for either recruitment or "capital punishment".

Lastly, there is Deific Practice; it's a much blurrier practice, though, and rides the line between all-out charlatans and lucky 'true believers' most of the time. Gods are not really present in the world, and even people who claim to channel their will are often mad, channeling some other form of magic, or can't properly explain the exact nature of their gifts.

>>54357664
>A good method I've found of keeping things like this relevant is to have the players get embroiled in the politics and shadow play . They're the bkackops, the strike team, the mercenaries under fire. Try see first hand what despotic control is. They get to see the downtrodden, the destitute, and the poor. Stories will spin themselves.
This is good input. I've thought a lot about how to present the world through "show, don't tell" and I think this is the best method of exposition and weaving story threads. I like to run my campaigns as organically as possible, and because there are so many political upsets going on already I think a natural tendency may be for things to flow that direction.

On the other hand, both players have also expressed desires to play monster hunters, Witcher-style, and sell their parts off early American fur-trader style. Which would be neat. I've got a few ideas for conflicting markets and merchants, too, in case that's how things go.

>>54357695
>You're obviously gonna have the game on the cusp of the next world war, yeah? Why else would there be such a military buildup, if not a massive war?
Correct. On the cusp of a huge war, with the technological and military buildup basically providing a fertile hotbed for all kinds of exciting new atrocities in the near future (plus the side benefits of drastic economic and political changes).

>>54355361
Yeah, I've had an idea for this shit laying around for a while.

You know how sulfur is one of the three basic ingredients of gunpowder, right? Well, it's also brimstone. And I'm thinking that, in a fantasy setting, making a weapon powered by brimstone might not be the best idea from a metaphysical standpoint. You get demons and shit popping out of nowhere and other nasty consequences.

The solution? Fucktons of either runes n' bindings or religious iconography. If you aren't or don't have connections to wizards or priests, good fucking luck fielding any sizeable numbers of gunpowder weapons without your soul getting lashed apart. So guns/cannons are rare and expensive, but not extremely so.

>>54355361
>I simply need a reason that firearms are not the most prevalent weapon ever;
"Here it's so settled. I don't need to explain why it happens like that, here it's so historically, if you want to change everyone's mind here about how powerful fire sticks are, go ahead. It can be fun."
You don't need to explain everything to players, especially if it requires special knowledge or historical researches

>>54361093
This is an interesting idea. I like the idea of "regular" gunpowder being a thing, unaffected by mana levels, but also giving you Corruption points or something similar the more often you use it. Opening yourself up to demonic influences and such. Could be an interesting angle.

>>54361806
True. But I like a solid foundation for why things are the way they are, that way I have a consistent way of building my setting with that in mind going forward. It doesn't matter so much that the players know why, because generally speaking they won't care, but it matters for consistency and NPC/organizational motivations down the road.